Unused functional elements of carrier tapes are easily damaged. Therefore a supply section of the carrier tape is positioned in a supply chamber of the tape cassette and thereby protected from harmful environmental influences. By winding the carrier tape with used functional elements on a winding unit, the carrier tape having unused functional elements is drawn through a tape exit opening of the supply chamber, so that unused functional elements reach a usage position successively.
Tape cassettes containing such carrier tapes are required in particular by diabetics, who must perform a measurement of the glucose concentration of a bodily fluid sample acquired by a lancet puncture, typically blood or interstitial liquid, several times a day.
Tape cassettes containing a carrier tape, which carries both test fields and also lancets as functional elements, are also known. Such tape cassettes are intended for integrated handheld devices which can be used both for a measurement of a bodily fluid sample and also for sample acquisition by puncturing with a lancet. However, simpler blood sugar measuring systems frequently comprises two separate handheld devices, namely a lancing device and a measuring device. Tape cassettes whose carrier tapes carry lancets as the functional elements are known for such lancing devices
For high user comfort, in medical handheld devices as are used in particular by diabetics, the easiest possible tape transport is important. In simpler handheld devices, the tape transport is caused manually by the user, more complex handheld devices have an electric motor in order to bring the functional elements of the carrier tape into the usage position in sequence.
The present disclosure discloses a way in which the transport of a carrier tape can be made easier in a medical handheld device.
In a tape cassette according to the present disclosure, the carrier tape is oriented in the tape exit opening transversely to a supply section positioned in the supply chamber. This means that the tape plane is tilted in the tape exit opening in relation to the supply section positioned in the supply chamber. Surprisingly a significant reduction of friction can be caused by this apparently simple measure.
The supply section is preferably wound on a roller, so that the supply section is oriented parallel to a geometric rotational axis of the roller, while a tape section positioned in the tape exit opening is oriented transversely thereto, preferably perpendicularly to the geometric rotational axis of the roller. However, the supply section can also be folded into a stack. The tape plane of the tape section that is positioned in the tape exit opening is then oriented transversely to the tape plane of the folded supply section, preferably perpendicularly thereto.
A change of the orientation of the carrier tape in the supply chamber may be achieved by twisting the carrier tape. The carrier tape is preferably twisted by a quarter-turn in the supply chamber.
By orientating the carrier tape in the tape exit opening according to the present disclosure it is also possible to orient a section of the carrier tape having a functional element positioned in the usage position transverse to the geometric rotational axis of the winding unit. In this transverse section, lancets for executing a puncture may easily be moved transversely to the geometric rotational axis of the winding unit. In particular handheld devices having a lancing function may therefore be conceived as very flat, having a winding unit lying in the tape cassette, and may puncture a body part placed against a narrow side of the device, typically a finger, in an ergonomically advantageous manner.
The carrier tape preferably carries lancets between the test fields, so that the tape cassette is suitable for integrated handheld devices which can be used both for a measurement of a bodily fluid sample and for sample acquisition by puncturing with a lancet. If the carrier tape does not carry lancets, the test fields may be positioned at a distance from one another, adjoin one another, or even merge into one another, for example, in that the test fields are provided as a continuous strip.
Further details and features of the present disclosure are explained on an exemplary embodiment with reference to the appended drawing.